Folding cradle



UNITED STATES PATENT 5.SFFICE CHARLES P. KENNA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLDING CRADLE.

SPBCIPICATION formixig part 01' Letters Patent N0. 335,203, datedFebruary 2, 1886.

Appliontion filed October E20, 1885. Serial N0.180413. (N0 model.)

T0 all whom it 7nay concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. KENNA, u oitizen 0f the United States,residing in Chicago, in the eounty of Cool; end Stute 0f 111inois, haveinvented a new und useful Improvement in Folding Oradles, of whieh thefollowing is a speeification.

The objeet of myinvention is to provide a folding oradle of a simple,cheap, and dumble eonstruotion which 1nay be readily folded into aoo1npact shape I"or storage 01? shipment or unfolded and sei: up foruse, and without the necessity of rexnoving sorews or fastenings ertaking the structure to pieees; end to this end my invention consists ina oradlebody eomposed of bent or curved longitudinal ribs pivotedtoget-her at eaoh end and adapted to shut or fold inside eaoh other.

Anothr feature of my invention consists, in oonjunction with the pivotedlongitudinal ribs, of a flexible strap 01 oonneotion between them tosustain the separate ribs in position end permit them to be folded 01shut together.

Another feature consists in arranging the pivoted longitudinal ribs intwo or more sets or series, each set or series being separately pivotedto a oommon end or frzune piece ab eaeh end of the oradle.

lt also consists in providing the end 01 frame pieees to whieh the ribsare pivoted with so parately-pivoted longitudinal top rails 01fra1nebars, adapted 130 fold together upward end to turn down only to ahorizontal position er op posite eaeh other when the oradle is extendedfor use, and thus form a rigid support for the pivoted ribs flexiblyoonneeted therewith.

lt also oonsists in a frame or Support forthe oradleloody, composed oftwo or more (preferably three) pieces pivoted or jointed together, thepivots or joints being loouted inside the line of support at euch end ofthe cradlebody so that the weight of the oradle-body will serve to holdthe jointed frame rigid.

'Ihe invention also consists in providing one of the joints of thefrarne with soekets 01 reeesses to reeeive the axles of the wheels whenthe frzune is opened 01 extended. The mere aet of opening the frame thusfastens the wheels in plaee, end the moment the frame is elosed thewheels are released therefrom.

The invention 'further oonsists in making the supporting-frame of twosides 01 parts pivoted together ab each end als the top, so that theywill fold 1'11t0 more eompaot shape; end the invention also consists inthe novel devices and novel combinations of devioes or parts hereinshown and described, und more partioularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompztnying drawingswhich form a part of this speeification,und in whieh similar letters of referenoe indicate like parts, Figure 1is a side elevation of a cradle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an endview of the same. Fig. 3 is a view showing the oradle folded. Fig. 4 isa detail view of the frame-joint whieh serves to seeure the axle, endFig. 5 is a side view of the frzune as folded.

In said drawings the folding fmme or support upon which the oradlebodyis mounted is shown as being eonnposed of two bottom mils or bars, A,each having an upright folding part, B B, jointed or hinged thereto abeach end. The upright parts B B are pivoted together ab their upperends, so that the two sides or parts of the frzune A B B und A B B mayclose or fold together. A braee or streteher, b, preferaloly having ajoint, b, at its rniddleand pivoted ab eaoh end to the uprights B B, sothat it Will fold, serves to hold the two sides o1 parts of the framerigid when the Same are extended or spread apart.

The joints 01 hinges a a at the ends of the bare A should be locatedinside the line of Support at oaoh end of the oradle-body, so that theweight of the cradle will serve to hold the uprights B B and B Bextended, as indieated in Fig. ltahat is to sny, the bottom rails, Ashould be shorter than the cradle-body, and by this means also theframe, when folded, is adapted to be plaeed inside the bent er ourvedlongitudinal ribs O, whieh fonn the body ot' the cradle, .ns indioatedin Fig.

The adjoining 01 abuttingends ofthe folding frame-pieces A B und A B areprovided, one or both, with recesses o1 groovesa", to reoeive the axle Eof the wheels E, and thus afford a means of readily attaohing analsecuring the wheels in place when the eradle is extended for use. ThisSocket a, for attaching the wheels,may be formed in the hinge-plates or011 separate braokets nttaehed to the folding arms A B B, if desired.

Ihe eradle-body is composed of longitudinal folding ribs er slats O,pivoted 01 hinged together at er near their ends.

D D are the end pieees 0r eastings, t0 whieh the rilos C are pivoted attwo projeetions or arms, d, thereon by the pins d, one on eaeh side ofthe center or median line of the eradlebody. These armes d are 01 shouldbe provided Witli slots, in whieh the ends of the ribs C fit.

T0 the end pieees, D, are also pivoted the folding top or fra1ne rilos,O, which have square ends or other stops, c, to hold them rigid whenturned at right angles to the suspension-pieees D, and thus affordrneans of supporting the ribs O. The 'ribs G are eonneet-ed to eaehother-that is to say. all those whieh are pivoted ab the san1e point tothe end pieces, D, and 130 the upper or frame rib, O, loy means offlexible straps C. The frame-ribs O are pivoted to slotted ar1ns 01projections (Z 011 the end pieces, D, which are 01 should beSuffieiently shorter than the arme or projeetions d to permit the ribs Cto reverse 01' i'0ld together upward from the position shown in Figs. 1and 2 to that shown in Fig. 3 without obstruetion from said arms d. Thefrarne-rilos C may, hoivever, loe pivoted to the end pieees, D, in otherrelative positions than that shown without departing from rny invention.

The end pieees, D, are provided with rings or eyes d, loy Which theeradle-body is suspended on the hooks .d* on the supportingframe, sothat it can freely swin g and be readily attaehed orremoved.

F is a handle attaehed to the folding frame at one endthe end to whichthe wheels are not applied.

Bach sueeessive folding rib C is slightly larger than its preceding orinner one, so that the ribs will shut or fold inside each other.

The bottom slats, C, of each set or side may be eonneeted together byhooks 0 or other suitable fastenings.

The rilos O, a s well as the frame-ribs O, are bent 01 eurved in shapesothat when extended they will form a eradleshaped body, as shown in Figs.1 and 2.

I hereloy disclaim as forming no part of my invention the folding eradleshown and deseribed in Letters Patent N0. 237 820, to O. O. Olark, datedFebruary 15, 1881.

In my invention the eradle-loody consists oi' one or more (preferablytwo) sets or series of bent longitudinal ribs pivoted together at theirends, and adapted to shut er fold together, one inside of another, andto for1n when extended a rigid cradleshaped frame or body, and each Setorseries of longitudinal bent ribs eonsists of three o1 more (preferablyfive) ribs pivoted together.

I claim l. A eradle-loody consisting in a series of folding longitudinalribs or slats pivoted togetherat their ends, adapted to fold togetherand to form a cradle-shaped body when extended, substantially asspeeified.

2. The eomloination of end or suspension pieces D with two series offolding longitudinal slats, C, pivoted to said end pieees ab twodifferent points, substantially as speeified.

8. The eombination of end piecesD.with a series of folding longitudinalribs or slats, C. and two folding frame-ribs, O, pivoted to said endpieces, substantially as speeified.

4. The combination, With a eradle-body' tween said folding rilos erslats, snlostantially as speeified. v

6. A eradle-body eonsisting of a series of folding longitudinal ribs erslats pivoted to gether at their ends, and having a flexible eonneetionor strap between them, substantially as speeified.

7. The eombination of end pieees, D,with a series of foldinglongitudinal ribs 'or slats, G, folding frame-ribs O, and a flexibleeonneetion between said frame-rilos O and ribs C, to sup port the latterfrom the forrner, substantially as speeified.

8. The combination, with aeradle-loody eonsisting in a series of foldinglongitudinal bent rilos or slats pivoted together at their ends, saidslats or ribs being adapted to shut 0r fold one inside another, 0f afoldingframe or support therefor, eonsisting 0f a bottom and foldinguprights pivoted thereto Within the line 0f support at eael1 end of saideradlebody, so that the weight of the eradle will hold the folding1'1prights extended, substantially as speeified.

9. The comloination, with a eradle-loody and a frarne or supporttherefor provided with a jointed or folding upright, the joint betweensaid frarne or support and its folding upright being provided With arecss for attaching the wheels by simply opening or extending theupright, substantially as speeified.

10. The eornbination, With frame-pieee A and. upright.B, pivotedthereto, of the wheels and a soeket or bearing ab the 'joint betweensaid upright and frame-piece for the axle of the wheels, said socket orbearing being adapted to be elosed to seeure the axle in place byopening or extending said upright, substantially as speeified.

11. A folding cradle-frame having wheels rernovaloly attaehed thereto atthe joint between the folding parts of said frame by opening er closingthe san1e, the soeket or reeess for attaehment of said wheels being inpart formed in er secured to eaeh of the folding parts of said frame,substantially as speeified.

12. The cornbination, with end pieees, D,

provided with armsd (P, 0f two series folding longitudinal bent oreurvedv rilos O and folding frame-ribs O, said ribs O being pivoted tosaid arms dfland said series of ribs C being IIO pivoted to said arms d,said ribs O and C a f01ding supporting-frame theref0r, consistbeingadapted iao fo1d upward together, subing 0f the bottom rails, A A,folding uprights stan'ially as specified. B B B B, said parts B B beinghinged o1 13. The combination, with end pieces, D, pivoted together abtheir upper ends, and a 5 provided With arrns d and CF, of foldinglongifolding spreader or brace, b, made in tawo part-s I 5 tudinal bent01' curved ribs O, and folding pivoted together, substanbially asspecified.

franue-ribs C, and a flexible strap, O", 01' con- CHARLES P. KENNA.nection between said s1ats C and frame-ribs O, \Vitnessesz substantiallyas specified. H. M. MUNDAY,

10 14. The combinationwith a cradle-body, of LEW. E. CURTIS.

